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There is really nothing much to discuss regarding BJAuto's latest FY16Q2 result.

Revenue hits record high but profit margin drops.

This is largely due to unfavourable sales mix, unfavourable forex, and higher operating cost due to expansion of 3S and repair centers.

It remains debt-free, asset-light and continue to pay good quarterly dividend.

It has declared a second interim dividend of 2.5sen. Total dividend in FY16 is 4.75sen so far.

I invested in BJAuto simply because I like Mazda and I have confidence in Mazda's prospect in Malaysia.

I don't expect its FY16 financial result next year to be better than FY15.

I just think that in the long run, it will continue to sell more cars.

I expect Mazda to challenge other Japanese auto makers in the country.

In year 2014, Mazda sold 11,382 vehicles representing 1.7% market share, while Nissan sold 39,932 vehicles with 6% market share.

So when Mazda manage to sell 40,000 vehicles a year like Nissan did last year, how much revenue and profit can it generate?

In 2014, Toyota & Honda sold 102,035 and 77,495 units respectively.

I think previously Mazda did not do well in Malaysia because of poor distributorship and lack of price competitiveness as they are not locally assembled.

It is not because Mazda's vehicles are inferior to fellow popular Japanese makers.

So when the volume and demand are low, resale value will also be low. This makes Mazda even more unpopular in the auto market.

With more established distribution network in Bermaz, introduction of CKD vehicles, superb SkyActiv technology and futuristic Kodo design, I think Mazda should be on par with Toyota, Honda & Nissan in the future in Malaysia.

These are just my opinion and I might be wrong.

Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Peugeot etc seems to offer great & exciting cars at very competitive price but the challenge they posed to those top Japanese brands here seems to be short-lived.

In other countries which I think their Mazda distributorship should not be too bad like the US, Mazda's sales still trail Toyota by a great distance.

Anyway, globally Mazda's sales have pick up in recent years after the introduction of Kodo design and Skyactiv technology which offer greater fuel-saving.

Mazda Japan does not do much research on hybrid and electric vehicles. So, it is understandable that it does not sell such cars in Malaysia.

This is a concern for me as I think hybrid/electric cars should dominate the future.

However, Mazda does collaborate with Toyota to share the latter's hybrid technology and in return, Mazda will share its Skyactiv engine technology with Toyota.

I think it is a win-win deal for both parties, and Mazda can concentrate to further improve its petrol engine's efficiency.

Mazda does have a line-up for hybrid car in Mazda 3 in Japan. I'm not sure whether we can see it in Malaysia.

Mazda Skyactiv cars are given EEV (Energy Efficient Vehicle) status in Malaysia which can enjoy some tax incentive.

This tax incentive enables Mazda cars to be priced more competitively compared to others.

The EEV status is determined based on fuel consumption and carbon emission level.

All auto manufacturers are aiming for EEV status for sure. Honda City is already categorized as an EEV.

How fuel-efficient is Mazda's Skyactiv's vehicles?

For comparison, Mazda Biante's (Skyactic 2.0L) fuel economy is rated at 7.4L/100km, compared to Nissan Serena S-hybrid (2.0L) at 6.6L/100km, both with almost similar weight.

Mazda 5 2.0L Skyactiv, which is about 125kg lighter, is rated at 6.6L/100km.

So we can see that Mazda's Skyactiv petrol engine vehicles are very fuel-efficient and almost comparable to some hybrid cars.

Since BJAuto took over the distributorship of Mazda vehicles in Malaysia, it has launched almost all new or facelifted models available in Mazda's lineup.

More recent launches include:

Dec15 - CX-3 (CBU)

Aug15 - MX-5 (CBU)

May15 - CX-5 2.5L facelift (CBU)

Apr15 - Mazda 3 2.0L (CKD)

Apr15 - Mazda 6 facelift (CBU)

Jan15 - Mazda 2 (CBU Thai)

May14 - Mazda 5 Skyactiv (CBU)

Mac14 - CX-5 2.5L (CBU)

Mac14 - Mazda 3 2.0L (CBU)

Nov13 - Biante (CBU)

Jun13 - CX-5 CKD

Mac13 - Mazda 6 (CBU)

Aug12 - BT50 (CBU Thai)

May12 - CX-5 (CBU)

It will be good if Mazda can come up with small MPV to rival Avanza which is quite popular here.

However, there is no such Mazda vehicle available in the whole world.

Bermaz has just launched its B-segment crossover CX-3 last week to rival the hot-selling Honda HR-V, even though the price of RM135k (OTR with insurance) definitely does not help in the competition.

I have to admit that HR-V is a great car with great look, which should have lured some potential CX-5 buyers away.

High-spec HR-V is priced at RM118k, and now it is basically everywhere on the road.

11 comments:

BD, is the increase in share capital concerning? thanks... seem like it is not easy for bjauto to continue the dividend payout for next 2 years since the NCFO is lesser than the amount of dividend payout...thought?

You mean the ESOS? Yeah, I don't think investors will like that. It will be a concern if it persistently issue that (I think VT likes this).

Base on its business model, I don't think it will face operating cash flow issue, its CFO should be close to its net profit. Current CFO is lesser so far mainly because inventories pile up may be due to anticipation of cost increase next year. Dividend paid so far this FY16 is high at RM94mil because of the special dividend paid in FY16Q1. However, with expected lower profit margin next year, I think the dividend payout in FY16 will not be as high as FY15.

thanks for sharing your view. Increase of inventory should be something reasonable in current situation. As usual, thanks for the analysis. Compared to many other blogger, you're one of the very few bloggers that really look into cash flow instead of focusing purely on whatever shown in income statement. Thanks a lot.

Hi BD, I would like to share the Taiwanese guru's opinion in you tube - https://youtu.be/vbadjpaNTrg

The key points to take away are :- USD is to continue to go up- Commodities price is to come down due to strengthening of USD- Property will remain down in years to come- Stock market will have -ve impact

It seems like export oriented stocks in Bursa still have legs. I suppose our strategy should be continue to hold the export oriented stocks, avoid commodities stocks, and keep cash to wait for next downturn of stock market :)

Congratulations on your Chinwell! Actually I've been following this stock for quite some time, as it is also related to Tambun :) Previously I'm not sure whether China anti-dumping can be extended or not so I didn't but its shares. I like the way its cash is increasing while debts are reducing. I didn't buy after its latest good quarterly result as I think forex gain was too much. It's a solid company worth for long term investment.